Geordie two Yeah pretty much seems to be the case and not surprising. I’ve always thought this is Benitez last season. Just wish and hope I’m wrong. There have been positive signs and reasons though that it’s possible to stay but I don’t see him wanting to get shafted by the owner again for another year or two.

You know what, I’d never heard of or heard Vashti Bunyan before you posted her name. Born in Newcastle as well – albeit taken darn sarf as a babe.

Checked her Wiki listing and she’s been around the block a bit – moving in high places on both sides of the Atlantic. I’ll see if I can get a copy of the album you mentioned. That’s life, we live and learn.

Rob Yeah I didn’t take too much into it regarding finances, more a case of returning (if we ever really left) the policy Ashley has wanted on transfers throughout his ownership. if I’m not mistaken, hardy is quite close to Rafa and Newcastle so it’s worth keeping it in mind because if that’s the case and Rafa isn’t allowed to make experienced signings then yeah, Rafa is gone.

I actually think the buy low sell high is a policy that can work. It does across Europe, but it’s greatee than just the transfer side of it that Ashley just doesn’t understand or wants to acknowledge and address.

I found a used cd copy of Just Another Diamond Day – it’d better be the gem you say it is otherwise I’ll be up there and string you up on Elsdon Gibbet!

Geordie 2

Real Smog and his head-banging chums are pushing to send an expeditionary force into Europe to have a go at the Bosch and then evacuating Dunkirk again! Those were the days, the blitz, food rationing, oh yes……. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer – but there was no immigration!

We have actually reached a stage with the squad that we could afford to start buying some young foreign players into the premiership to give us some pace and quality at maybe better prices than players with premiership experience?

We have Rafa to coach them and also a very experienced squad with leaders so its not like they would be getting dropped into the deep end like under previous “coaches”!

If only Ashley would realise that having a few experienced heads would actually bring the younger players making them worth more in the long run!

ronaldo, I agree it can work as a policy as long as it’s well managed. If it’s not you end up tearing the heart out of the team every two seasons with relegations a certainty. You also end up with a certain amount of dead wood hanging round the club, as certain players fail to live up to their promise. Then you have the mercenaries treating our club like a stepping stone and becoming unsettled when they don’t get to move when they think it’s their time, like Cabaye and Sissoko.

It’s taken Rafa 3 years to sort out the mess that we were in and it will require him to be fully bought in and in control of the process to make sure we don’t get into a similar mess again.

For me, what doesn’t work with the purely for sell on players is a couple of things. Firstly if you are signing players on five year deals then selling them as soon as an offer comes in, it means the ones you aren’t selling aren’t very good. You also have the players who’ve come solely to put themselves in the window not giving a foot about the shirt like Janmatt and those that the club try and keep on to a bit longer like Sissoko and Cabaye who go on strike or continually harp on about moving to a bigger club. I’d say Rafa blocked the move for those two players because although they might have put a few quid in Mikey’s pocket they might not have had the right temperament. These type of players have had us in a continuous relegation battle because we’ve had crap managers who’d accept these type of players.

The transfer policy has merit but obviously needs tweaking. At the end of the it’s all about having the correct depth, balance and quality, as well as being sustainable. We’ve made a lot of great signings under Ashley, but we’ve noticeably carried a lot of deadwood too and been less competitive than we’ve needed to be and rarely as competitive as we should be.

Young players before they’ve popped, experienced players coming to the end of their deals, all good, but they must be very well scouted and they must be in the right positions.

The first time I saw Aarons was in a reserve game on the NUFC channel and I immediately thought he had more than enough quality to make it. He was easily the best player on the pitch. Fast and skillful, athletic, good delivery and finish.

He’s had trouble with injury, but I think he’s also struggled to fully grasp the mechanics of the actual job of being a top pro. The nuts and bolts of being part of a top side that is so fundamental for a pro career at a good level. The consistent graft and correct decision making, when the side is in possession and not has been slow in coming. If he is finally grasping that at Wednesday, then there is still the chance he can do it for us in the EPL.

I don’t want the club to be owned by anyone that wants anything more or less than the club to punch above its natural weight and do it sustainably. I’d take that over the Mansours without even blinking.

That Hardy article’s clearly written as a means of Ashley setting out his negotiating position and it’s a sad state of affairs when he hasn’t got the balls to talk to Rafa face-to-face.

As you say, there’s nothing wrong with the idea of buying players as an investment but what Ashley clearly doesn’t or won’t acknowledge is that Arsenal’s squad is established and strong with clear succession plans in place – a policy they’ve worked on over years but Ashley wants it too early. Give Rafa a chance to build! The squad Rafa’s got isn’t strong enough to even get the club established among the top six-eight in the Prem. Surely the time to introduce the buy to sell policy is when the club’s foundations are strong and what will it take to get Ashley to see that.

So Ms Bunyan’s up in Edinburgh and no doubt fraternising with some of the old guard who’ve hung their instruments up there.

Donovan Leitch, I remember well. He was involved in an anti Polaris march that trecked from Glasgow to London carrying a replica missile. It passed through Newcastle and the archers kipper over in the then CND/ Committee of 100 base in the old ILP hall on Shields Road, Byker. The Raby was just about opposite and its regulars were a bit taken aback with the long-haired, scruffy, smelly beer swilling folk-singing specimens that’d entertained them. A couple of the marchers liked Newcastle so much (or they were too pi$$Ed to move) they stayed a while.

health update

The stage four cancer remains stabilized and while the PSA count has risen a little, there's no evidence the cancer has spread.

I was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in early 2017 after being in remission for six years.

There is no cure - but there are treatments to prevent the cancer from spreading further.

I am so thankful for the latest results and in awe of the doctors and nurses at the Rex Cancer Center in Raleigh, North Carolina

Now when is Rafa going to sign his new deal and start making Newcastle great again?

Ed Harrison

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